Winter's Sadness
by Beautiful Snow Queen
Summary: It's the anniversary of Birk Balthezar's death, and Miranda went out to visit his grave. However, her grieving seems to be extended, and no one seems to get through to her. When the an evil Enchantress takes her, it's up to Sofia and her family to save the Queen, before her heart becomes too cold. Special guests from my Dragon Witch series. Characters possibly slightly AUish.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: UGH! i'n so busy these days I barely have one to write anymore! Anyway, I'm currently catching up on the Sofia the First episodes, I'm aware that Season 3 has started, but I'm almost done with season 2. Anyway, this is mostly a Miranda centered story because I've been thinking there should be an episode that shows how Miranda would deal with her grief over her first husband. I got the name they released for him, but we have little to no information otherwise, and I think it's wrong of them to neglect how kids may go through grief, and what their parents do. Leila and a few stray OC's are MINE, no touching, otherwise Sofia is Disney.**

Rain poured down as a hooded figure snuck out through the doors of the castle. It was the early morning hours and everyone was supposedly still asleep. The figure crept into the barn and brought out her new chestnut mare. "Let's go," the figure whispered, leading the Pegasus out and mounting her. The figure took out an umbrella to keep dry during the ride.

Thirty minutes later, the equine and rider landed and the rider jumped down and started walking down a row of graves. They stopped when they reached a gravestone marked 'Birk Balthazar.' Placing a small bouquet of flowers on the grave, the figure kissed her finger and gently placed it on the grave. "Hey, Birk," the figure whispered, fighting back tears. "It's Miranda… lots of things have happened since I was last here. I've remarried… and became Queen of Enchacia…" the Queen stopped as she swallowed a lump that had formed. "The King is a wonderful father to Sofia… I wish you could see her… she's so beautiful…" the Queen continued speaking to her late husband, talking about her life and memories, until her Pegasus stomped her hoof impatiently. "I'll try to come back next year…" she whispered, once again kissing the gravestone.

After climbing onto the Pegasus, the chestnut took off and headed back to the palace. Once she had landed back at the palace, she led the mare back into the stall, and made sure she was swiftly cleaned off. After the mare was cleaned and comfortable, Miranda hurried into the castle. Since it was obvious she had been out of their bed, the Queen decided to change back into her normal clothes that she wore around the palace.

Sitting down on the window seat she watched as the rain streamed down the window. She allowed the tears to flow freely, believing that her husband was still asleep.

WS

Roland II woke up to cold sheets next to him, implying that Miranda had been out of bed for awhile. When he first woke up, the Queen was nowhere to be seen. Curious, he got out of bed and changed into his royal clothes. When he stepped out of his dressing area, his wife was sitting on the window seat; she was staring out into the rain. Perplexed, he placed his hand on her shoulder, startling her as she jumped and quickly rubbed her eyes before turning to face him. "Hello, Rolie…" she said, attempting to keep her voice even.

Roland could tell that she had been crying and wanted to know what was bothering his wife. "Hello, my Queen," he said affectionately, brushing her cheek with his knuckles. After a moment of silence, she sighed and leaned into him. "What seems to be bothering you?" He asked gently.

"Nothing," Miranda replied distantly. "Nothing that should alarm you…"

Roland frowned and looked down at his wife. "That sounds like it will alarm me, Miranda."

The Queen looked up at him, blinking back more tears. "It's-" she began, only to be cut off.

"Pardon me, Your Majesties," Baileywick called as he entered the room. "But, it's time for your family breakfast."

"Thank you, Baileywick," Roland said, noticing how Miranda tensed at the mention of family; which was highly unusual as Miranda was the one who did her best to make sure everyone spent a little bit if family time with each other. "We'll be there in a moment."

When Baileywick had left, Miranda wiped her eyes again. Roland was growing more concerned about her, but decided they'd talk later. Right now, they had to go see the children, otherwise they'd go their separate ways. "We'll talk later," Roland whispered, offering his hand to his wife.

Miranda looked at him, then took his hand; allowing him to help her up. She then linked her arm through his, like she did on most days and walked out of the room. Roland looked down at her gorgeous ice blue eyes, and his concern grew; but, instead of showing it, he just revealed his affection by kissing her head.

WS

Sofia, Amber, and James were already at the table when their parents arrived. Sofia noticed her mother seemed a bit off, but stayed quiet as their father whispered something in her ear, which made her smile a bit.

"Hey," James said excitedly, clearly not noticing the Queen's mood difference. "Can I go swimming later with Xander?"

The King and Queen looked at each other. Sofia's mother nodded, although she seemed to be distracted by something. It was the King who replied. "Once the rain has let up," Roland replied.

"Would it be okay if Ruby and Jade came as well?" Sofia asked, hoping her mom would answer.

Miranda was looking at something off in the distance as Roland squeezed her hand to get her attention. "I'm sorry, Sofia," she said, looking at her daughter with a soft smile. "What were you asking?"

"Uh, never mind," she said. She would ask Ruby and Jade over another day. Right now she wanted to figure out what was wrong with her mother and see if she could try to fix it.

"Well," Amber said as she finished her grapefruit. "If nobody minds, I'll be going out with Hildegard."

"How long will you be gone?" Roland asked, watching Miranda. She'd hardly touched her breakfast, which was unusual.

"I'll be home for dinner," Amber said, completely oblivious to her mother's behavior. Even James was looking at the Queen curiously by now.

When Miranda shrugged at Amber's question, Roland sighed softly. He hoped the Queen would feel better soon. "As long as you're back by dinner," Roland replied firmly. "You know how much the family meals mean to us."

Amber squealed gleefully. "Thank you, Daddy!"

Baileywick came up behind the King. "Queen Miranda, you've hardly touched your meal," he observed. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"No," Miranda said gently, not making eye contact with anyone. "I'm just not feeling the best today."

"If you're sure," Baileywick replied before turning to the King. "I'm afraid you must be off to your first appointment, Sire."

Roland sighed, giving Miranda one more look. "Alright," he said, getting up. He didn't want to leave his wife in the condition she was in, but duty called.

Sofia and her siblings got away from the table and Sofia headed to her room. Clover, the rabbit, was sleeping on her bed. "Clover!" She called.

The rabbit looked up and hopped over to her. "Hello, Princess," he said. He stopped when Sofia turned and watched her mother walk slowly past the bedroom. They saw the Queen wipe something from her eye, but otherwise completely ignore her daughter; despite the door being wide open. "Hey, Princess," Clover called when the Queen disappeared. "Something wrong?"

Sofia looked down at Clover and sighed. "Sort of…" she said, sitting down on the bed. "Mom's been acting strange today… she hardly said a word at breakfast, and she just completely walked right past me just now without saying hello. She never does that…"

"Well…" Clover said, tapping his chin. "Is she upset about something?"

"Like what?" Sofia asked.

"Maybe the King did something or they had an argument?" Clover suggested.

"I don't think so," Sofia said, shaking her head. "I've never heard them fight before."

"You'd be surprised about things that happen when the kids aren't looking," Clover said. "Most parents don't want their children hearing them fight."

"But why would mom cry after a fight?" Sofia questioned. "I've never really seen her cry before…"

"Whoa!" James called, before wheeling into Sofia's room. He crashed against her bed. "Sorry," he said trying to balance on his wheelie shoes.

"James," Sofia said happily, looking at him. "Have you noticed anything strange about mom today?"

"Aside from her not touching her food?" James said, shrugging. "Not really…although, Dad seemed particularly concerned over her."

"So, you don't think they fought?"

"What would they fight about?" James asked. "I've never seen Dad fight with her."

"Nor have I," Sofia admitted. "But, what would cause her to act so strange?"

"No idea," James said. "I guess we could ask her?"

"No," Sofia said firmly. "I don't want to upset her any more."

"Wait…" James said after a moment. "What about your Father's death?"

"Huh?" Sofia asked, raising an eyebrow. Ever since her mother married the King, she'd always considered him her father. "What do you mean?"

"Your mother was married before she married my father," James explained. "Whenever it gets close to the anniversary of my mother's passing, Dad tends to get a bit distant. Although, that hasn't happened the past couple of years; mostly because I think mom's been keeping his mind off it."

"Oh…" Sofia said. She didn't remember her birth father at all. He had died from pneumonia when she was a baby, and it had been just the two of them until Miranda married the King. "I didn't even think about that. I knew she was sad at times, but she would always try to cover it up when I was around her."

"That's what parents do," James sighed. "Dad did the same thing, but I haven't seen that since mom married him."

"I wish there was something we could do that would cheer her up," Sofia moaned.

"Maybe there is!" James said excitedly. There was a gleam in his eyes that told Sofia there might be some trouble. But, if it cheered her mother up she'd be willing to do it.


	2. Chapter 2

Miranda walked out to the parlor and sighed as the rain continued to pour down. She began to wonder if she should've approved James and Amber going out. She shook her head, maybe later the weather would clear and her mood would brighten up.

A hand was placed on her shoulder, and she turned to see Roland standing behind her. "Rollie?" She asked, wiping her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I have some down time," Roland said, embracing his wife. "What's bothering you, Miranda?" He asked getting directly to the point. "I've never seen you so… depressed."

"I'll be fine, Rollie," she said, not wanting to tell him about anniversary of her husband's passing. She didn't want him to think she didn't love him; but her heart still ached at the memories of Birk. "Really."

Roland studied his wife, but didn't press. She would probably tell him when she's ready. "Alright," he said, kissing her cheek. "Just know that you can tell me anything, Miranda. I love you more than the sun and the stars combined."

Miranda closed her eyes tightly, holding back the tears. She loved Roland and both of his children very deeply, and she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize their relationships.

"Your Majesty," Baileywick called. "You're needed in the throne room."

Roland sighed, looking at Miranda one last time; there was a pleading look in his eye that made Miranda feel guilty.

As soon as he was gone, Miranda broke into tears. She wanted to tell him so badly, but she was torn between hurting him and keeping it to herself.

WS

Sofia and James were putting up decorations in the ball room. "You sure this will cheer her up?" Sofia asked, tying another balloon together.

"Positive," James said, trying to steady himself as he finished putting up a ribbon. He hopped off the stool and smiled. "Done!"

"Now it's time to find Mom and Dad," Sofia said, running out with James. It wasn't hard to find Roland as he walked out of the throne.

"Hi, Dad," the children said stopping in front of him.

"Hello, Sofia, James," Roland said, smiling at them. "What seems to be the rush?"

"James and I wanted to invite you to our party we're throwing," Sofia explained excitedly. "Family only!"

"That sounds wonderful," Roland said happily. Then his smile faded as he looked the way his wife probably was. "I have to go check on your mother, first."

"Mom's invited too!" Sofia said happily. "Can I go get her?"

"Well," Roland said hesitantly. Miranda wasn't one to stay away from a party, especially if it was hosted by her own daughter. "Okay."

Sofia clapped and raced off to go find her mother. She found her staring out the window, watching as the rain continued to pour. "Hey, mom?" Sofia asked, walking toward the Queen. At first there was no response, which puzzled her a bit. "Mom?" She asked again, placing her hand on her mother's shoulder.

Miranda turned, weakly smiling at her daughter. "Hello, Sofia," she said softly. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing," Sofia replied, pulling gently on her mom's arm. "Just throwing a little party for the family. Dad's in the ballroom waiting for us."

Miranda's eyes darted to one side at the mention of her husband. She didn't want to pass up the opportunity for the majority of the family to be together, but she also didn't want her Rolie pressing. Deciding to spend time with her family, she got up and followed Sofia.

Sofia happily led her mom to the ballroom where everyone was waiting. The music started playing as soon as mother and daughter entered. Miranda immediately put on a smile as she looked around. Roland came up behind her and embraced her. It was all she could do to keep the smile on, but inside she wanted to curl up and cry somewhere.

No one seemed to notice, though, as she and her husband danced around. The children did the same, although James broke off to get something to eat.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. "Baileywick!" Roland called.

"Right away, Your Majesty," Baileywick said, not needing to be told what to do.

Roland turned back to his wife, only to see her looking out the window again. "Expecting to see someone out there?" Roland asked teasingly.

Miranda smiled slightly, but didn't laugh much. "No. Just… remembering…"

"Remembering what?"

Before she answered, Baileywick returned with a tanned skinned, soaking wet girl with dragon wings around herself; she also wore a green dress and a reddish white pendant with a white dragon in the center. "Your Majesties," he said. "Princess Leila of Gondra has arrived."

"Just Leila is fine," Leila said, shaking her head. "Sorry for the intrusion, but I got caught in the rain. Would you mind if I stayed and waited it out."

"Not at all," Roland said, his arm going around Miranda. "We would be delighted to have you, right, Miranda?"

"Of course," Miranda said. Leila looked at Miranda curiously, but then quickly turned to Sofia and James.

"Hey, you two," she said, waving from her position. Sofia waved back, walking toward her.

"Let's get you out of these wet clothes," Sofia said, dragging Leila by the hand.

"Okay, okay," she said, quickening up her steps a tad before opening up her wings when they reached the foyer. Leila's wings flapped a couple of times, and before they knew it, they were in the air; circling the staircase. They startled Violet as they flew over the balcony and dropped.

"No flying in the castle!" Roland called last minute.

"Sorry," Leila called back.

"Come on," Sofia called, dragging Leila toward her room.

"Okay, okay," Leila laughed.

"Here," Sofia said, picking out a dress. "You can wear this."

"No offense, Sof," Leila said. "But, I'm about your mom's height. Your dresses are too small."

"Right," Sofia said, flushing a bit from embarrassment. "Let's go to mom and dad's room, then."

"As long as they don't mind the intrusion…" Leila said hesitantly. "I could just dry off here, but I don't want to leave any scorch marks behind."

WS

Roland waited a few minutes after Sofia dragged Leila away; then James went to find Rex. Once James was out of sight, he walked to his wife again. She was standing by the window, looking down at the floor. "Remembering?" He asked, his arm wrapped around her again.

Miranda sighed a bit, not turning to face him. This concerned Roland a bit, but he was still just trying to probe. "Miranda," he said softly. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing," she replied, shaking her head. "I'm just a bit tired."

"Heard you had an early morning," Roland said, beginning to massage her shoulders a bit. "One of the groom's said the Pegasus I got you was freshly groomed when he was beginning to groom the horses."

Miranda tensed a bit at the mention of that. She hoped that he didn't know about the cemetery visit, because then she would have to spill everything. After a moment of silence she sighed. "I'm really tired, Rollie," she said affectionately. "Can we discuss this later?" She added silently, _much later_.

"Of course," Roland said, kissing her head. "As long as we discuss it later."

"Thanks," she said appreciatively. "I'll just be taking a nap."

"Rest well," he said, reluctantly releasing her.

Miranda smiled softly then turned and walked out of the room. Roland sighed, wishing Miranda would tell him what was going on.

WS

Miranda walked slowly to her room, fighting hard to keep her tears inside. She gasped when she saw Leila, who was still soaked, and Sofia by the door. "What are you two doing here?"

"My dresses are too small for Leila," Sofia said. "So, we were hoping you could let her borrow something?"

"Nothing fancy," Leila quickly added. "Just something plain and simple."

"Well, I'm sure I have something," Miranda said, opening the door to let the girls in. Leila stood by the fire while Sofia went to the couch. Miranda came out a minute later with a simple light purple dress that was slightly tattered, but looked like it would fit Leila.

"Nice," the Princess said, taking it and putting it on behind the blinds. "I would dry off myself," she explained to the Queen. "But, I'd rather not leave scorch marks everywhere."

Miranda had barely heard a word that the Dragon Princess had said. Instead, she just looked at the flames, gazing at the flickering dance.

"Mom," Sofia said, placing a hand on top of her mother's. "Are you okay?"

Miranda looked down at her daughter's touch, then tried her best to put on a smile. "Fine, sweetheart," she replied. "Just tired."

"Better leave your mom to rest," Leila said, coming out with her clothes on her arm. "We can play a game of chess if you want."

"You're on!" Sofia said happily, jumping off the couch and running out.

Leila walked out, but paused at the doorway. "Be careful how you handle this," she said.

The Queen looked up at her quizzically. "What?"

"Nothing," Leila replied, walking out. "Hey, Sofia! Race you down the railing!"

Miranda shook her head, brushing off the older woman's words. She laid down on the couch by the fire and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

 **A/N: Little information on Leila: Princess of a dragon based land called Gondra. Eldest of three, on sibling is dead and the other is a thorn in her side. She can be prickly at times, but does have a sweet personality. She also has Dragon powers. Such as being a pyrokinetic.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Whoa! Didn't expect reviews this fast! Well, I'm always glad to get them. Forgot to mention something about Leila: she's 400 years old, but looks like she's 20. Warning shorter chapter! Also, I have a new Sofia the First started as well. Be prepared to cry!**

When it came for dinner, Amber had returned, wearing a new tiara and talking about how much fun she and Hildegard had. She was surprised to see Leila had swung by. "Caught in the rain," Leila said shrugging. "Nothing I could do about that?"

"Where's your dragon then? Is Clarissa with you?!" Amber demanded.

"Clar's at home and Christina is hiding out in a cave somewhere," Leila replied, referring to her bond dragon and younger sister.

"Has anyone seen your mother?" King Roland asked as the children and guest sat down.

"Last Sofia and I saw her she was in her room," Leila said, taking a spot that was next to the Queen's. "I think she wanted to take a nap."

"Mother?!" Amber gasped. "Taking a nap? There must be some mistake!"

"I'll go fetch her," Roland said, looking at the kids. "Don't start without us."

"Aw!" James moaned. When he thought the King was far enough away, he tried to reach for the food, but was stopped by a force field. He glared at Leila. "No fair."

"Your dad said to wait," she smirked. "So we're waiting. Besides, it was either that or I burn you. I figured you wanted the nicer trick."

"I still think you're mistaken about Mother taking a nap, Leila," Amber said. "She doesn't do that. Especially not in the middle of the day."

"Perhaps something's come up, Amber," Leila replied, glaring at the younger Princess. "Sofia and James tell me she's been acting strange all day."

"What kind of strange?" Amber asked.

"Well," James said, looking at his twin. "For one thing she hardly touched her breakfast."

"And she was crying sometimes," Sofia said. "She would stop when someone was nearby, but I could tell she was. She even walked by my room- by herself- without so much as glance at me; and my door was wide open."

"Okay," Amber said. "The crying is extremely unusual- considering Mother never cries. As for walking by Sofia's door, I don't find that quite as unusual."

"Well, Dad seems concerned," James said. "He's been giving her looks whenever they were together. I saw it when we were having the party."

"There was a party?!" Amber gasped. "And no one invited me?!"

"You were out, Amber," James pointed out. "Besides, it wasn't anything big. We just thought it might cheer Mom up."

"I'm afraid I might have an idea of what's going on," Leila said solemnly. "And throwing a party- of any kind- probably won't do much good. The smiles she has on will be faked half the time."

"how would you know?" Amber demanded.

"Because I suffer from a different form of what she's going through currently," Leila replied darkly. "My best friend also suffered from it; and the Queen is showing the classic symptoms: Loss of appetite, loss of enjoying activities that she normally loves, and she's tired more than she should be- if what you say is true about the naps."

Everyone stayed silent for a moment. Sofia then looked at Leila. "Is she going to be okay? Is there a cause?"

Leila shrugged. "If she only acts like this around certain parts of the year, then it's probably triggered by something. Unfortunately, not much is known and I doubt we'll ever find out much. She'll probably be fine, though."

WS

Roland chuckled as he overheard James exclaim as Leila prevented him from eating. Heading to his room, he opened the door to see his wife sleeping soundly on the couch. Walking over to her, he stroked her cheek gently, surprised when a tear streamed down. "Talk to me, Miranda," Roland whispered, kissing her.

Miranda stirred and moaned as she opened her eyes. "Rollie?" She asked.

"Hey, darling," he said, helping her sit up a bit. "The children and guest are waiting downstairs for our meal."

"The family dinner," she groaned. "I forgot!"

Roland chuckled and offered his hand to help her up. "It's alright. Leila's surprisingly good at keeping James away from the food."

Miranda chuckled a bit, then linked her arm through his as they walked out. She rested her head on his shoulder as they approached the dining room, and he kissed her head gently.

When they entered, the dinner was surprisingly untouched, and still hot. "What's the discussion about?" Roland asked as his children and guest stopped talking. He took his place at the head as Miranda took hers next to him and Leila.

"How short I am of having one hundred tiaras!" Amber said excitedly.

"It's quite dull actually," Leila said. "I've had better conversations with Pipsqueak about how many jewels he's collected over the years."

The table chuckled and they dug into the turkey. "So, Leila," Miranda said, attempting to engage in conversation. "What brought you to Enchancia?"

"Everburn," Leila said, taking a bite of her food. "As Guardian of the Dragons, it's my job to keep an eye on all dragons. Unfortunately he's become very ill, I suspect it won't be long before he passes."

"Sorry to hear that," Roland said solemnly. A quick glance at his wife, though, showed that she once again wasn't touching much of her food.

"It's alright," Leila said, shrugging. "He's a very old dragon, lucky enough to have lived this long. Circle of life I guess you could say."

"Well," Amber said, cutting in. "Now that we know why Dragon Girl is here, do you want to hear about my adventure with Hildegard?"

James groaned while Sofia shrugged. The King didn't look excited either, but he gave the go ahead; noticing that Miranda was playing with her food. While Amber chatted, Roland squeezed Miranda's hand. She looked up at him, attempting to smile, but failed.

"Who's ready for some Jiggly-wiggly pudding?" Baileywick called as he entered the dining room.

"Ooh!" Leila exclaimed. "I love pudding!"

Everyone else looked excitedly at the big bowl coming toward them. Except Miranda, she was focused on an invisible spot on the table. "Queen Miranda," Baileywick said, once again noticing her lack of appetite. "You've barely touched your supper. Was it not to satisfaction?"

"No, Baileywick," Miranda said gently. "The food was great, but I'm afraid I must retire for the night." She got up and kissed each of her children on the head, then kissed Roland on the cheek.

Roland grabbed her hand, looking at her pleadingly. Miranda shook her head. "Please, Roland…" she said softly, which caused all three children to gap.

"We're going to talk later," he whispered softly. When Miranda was out of the room, Leila asked the question. "Why are the three of you gaping like that?"

"Mom never calls Dad by his first name," James said, watching their father who was looking at his food defeatedly. "She only ever calls him by his nickname she gave him: Rollie."

"I told you," Leila said, crossing her arms. "Great sadness isn't something to take lightly. Due to the fact that she's only like this certain times of the year, it's probably periodical sadness."

"But she hasn't been like this since marrying Dad," Sofia pointed out.

Leila shrugged. "Great Sadness is funny that way. It'll sneak up on you when you least expect it."

King Roland sighed, showing no sign of overhearing the kids and Leila. He stood up and nodded to the elder Princess. "I'm afraid I must retire early as well," he said. "Please, stay for a few days if you wish. That way you can be near Everburn."

"I'll consider it," Leila replied nodding back.

Roland nodded, kissing his children goodnight. Going up to his room, he saw Miranda sleeping again. She looked so peaceful and beautiful, he didn't want to move. However, he knew he had to. Changing into his night clothes, he slipped his arms around her, then kissed her neck.

She stirred a bit, but remained asleep. Roland smiled, brushing her face as he pulled his wife closer. "Please, open up to me," he whispered, listening to the Queen's soft breathing as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

 **A/N: Great Sadness is a term in Leula's land for depression. Leila suffers from the clinical kind… at least I think it is. Miranda suffers from periodical depression which is triggered by the anniversary of Birk's death. The thing about depression, though? Is that it really sneaks up on you when you least expect it.**


End file.
